Contextualizebeta

adultery

noun
/əˈdʌltəɹi/

Etymology

With change of suffix, from the Old French adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), a learnèd borrowing from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the inherited Old French forms avouterie or aoulterie, while keeping its suffix. Compare French adultère (“adultery”). Displaced Old English ǣwbryċe. Not related to adult.

  1. derived from adulterium

Definitions

  1. Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more…

    Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry

    • She engaged in adultery because her spouse has a low libido, while hers is very high.
    • So also that copulation which in one City is Matrimony, in another will be judged Adultery.
    • Under modern statutory law, some courts hold that the unmarried participant isn't guilty of adultery (that only the married participant is)

  2. Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the sixth/seventh…

    Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the sixth/seventh commandment; sinful sexual behavior as a category.

    • Thou shalt not commit adultery.

  3. Faithlessness in religion.

    • And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
  4. ›+ 4 more definitions

    1. The fine and penalty formerly imposed for the offence of adultery.

    2. The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop.

    3. Adulteration

      Adulteration; corruption.

    4. Injury

      Injury; degradation; ruin.

      • […] you might wrest the Caduceus out of my hand, to the adultery and spoil of Nature […]

The neighborhood

Derived

adulterize, antiadultery, commit adultery

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at adultery. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01adultery02faithlessness03faithless04unfaithful05adulterous

A definitional loop anchored at adultery. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

5 hops · closes at adultery

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA